


Tanzaku

by Knight_of_Cookies



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben/Rey married, Ben/Rey ran away, Bittersweet, Chinese Mythology & Folklore, Cooking, Exile, F/M, Imprisonment, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Nightmares, Post TLJ, Rose is badass too, Rose is the best BFF, Separated Lovers, Tanabata, Vega and Altair, Weaver - Freeform, can you catch 'em all?, cowheard, crimes of Kylo Ren, hairbraiding, loss of limb, self binding, so many references to the myths, star festival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-07-13 23:07:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16027889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Knight_of_Cookies/pseuds/Knight_of_Cookies
Summary: Vega and Altair, the stars of myths and separated lovers reunited once in a cycle. Though far apart, they can always be found by those who know them.Rey and Ben know where to look in the dark sky as they play their roles of a goddess and a herdsman. Together they weave their own story.





	1. Tanzaku

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to the RFFA anthology for this wonderful opportunity for a story. It has been a great ride and an honor to be a part of. 
> 
> Thank you to my editors, from the official RFFA team, as well as Pythia (A03) and Lilyoflothlorian (on tumblr). And thank you to my good friend Johnny, who drew art that directly inspired scenes for this story,

\--Tanzaku--

Long, narrow strips of colorful paper that are hung from bamboo branches. Before they are hung, tanzaku are inscribed with a wish.

 

Rey sat in front of a large wooden contraption full of webbed strings in white, grey, and tan that crossed over and under each other. Her nimble fingers moved the contraption forward and back, one line at a time.

Clack! Clack! Rey breathed in and out with the rhythm.

Clack! Breath in. Clack! Breath out. She could almost close her eyes and remember the feeling of the Force thrumming through her with the same pulse. From her lips sprung the village woman’s weaver song:

“ Bamboo leaves are rustling, rustling

Swaying close to the roof’s edge

Oh how the stars are twinkling, twinkling

Gold and silver grains of sand .”

Rey sang, words clacking and lilting in time with her hands, she and the loom moving as one machine, one breath, one song. She imagined what the cloth would look like when it was finished, stripes of colors bound together. She could see how the cloth would further be cut and sewn to make a fine shirt.

It was her first time making a shirt for Ben without the help of Jiknyeo or Jen. It had been Ben’s first time shearing the tomuon and carding the wool for her. Rey imagined how nice they would look, dressed in something they had worked so hard on together.

A touch as soft as a brush of a carrier butterfly ran over the back of Rey’s neck, lush lips that sighed over her skin.

“It’s coming along well,” Ben said in a crooning whisper, his lips settling just under her ear. Rey’s hands refused to stop moving, but she heard Ben clearly. She tilted her head back and met his lips with her own, a kiss in rhythm with her own breath, with the clack of the loom. Ben retreated, kissing her cheek once more.

“I’ve always wanted to see you in lighter colors,” Rey responded, still in time with her work. Ben scoffed behind her.

“Just so it can come back covered in dirt?”

“I don’t care. I’ll be the one washing it,” Rey joked before hearing the door close again as Ben likely went to grab another round of the newly harvested ghoba rice from their share of the village field.

 

Ben and Rey were tireless workers, as they always had been.

When they first came to the small, remote planet of Aquila, Ben thought it was too dangerous to be around others. They had brought little with them when they came here, escaping the fallout of the war after Snoke fell. The people of Aquila -- and perhaps the entire Thrasybule system -- cared little about the galaxy’s wars. The people saw little of them.

They tried living on their own -- miserably -- until Rey decided she was too tired of being unable to do anything. She went to the elders of the nearest village, Jen and Rea, and asked if she could assist them in any way.

Ben stayed back while Rey studied and immersed herself in the small village of Qixi. She determined it would be far less obvious for them to act as part of the village rather than to be the obvious outsiders. Rey had never been part of a community and was as wary as Ben, but her practicality won out.

The house they were given was a wedding gift, as was custom. It was a sign they were part of the small community. It wasn’t very large; there was a room where Ben and Rey could work during the day, a bathroom, a bedroom that also functioned as a living and dining room, and a kitchen. But it was all theirs.

Here, Ben and Rey had been able to leave old titles behind: Kylo Ren, the last Jedi, Force sensitive, important, special. They could happily be no one here.

Rey loved how Ben’s hair looked in the traditional braids that men of Qixi wore once it started growing out.

They both learned how to braid together from Rea, learning to pull the three slim fibers into one. Rey loved how they both took a few minutes each morning to pull each other's hair into the braids, a few moments of respite before a busy day. She loved feeling Ben’s large fingers combing through her hair.

Ben had taken a bit longer to learn the art and Rey had often caught him practicing with spare yarn, his expression one of a man defusing a bomb.

But Ben was the kind of man who never did anything by half-measures.

 

It was rough, more so for Ben than for Rey at first.

One night, as they had lain on their pallet, Rey woke to Ben staring blankly at the ceiling.

“I want to know more than killing. I want to learn to bring life,” Ben said with a haunted tone.

Rey could only guess the horrors of his nightmares as he thrashed at night.

Sometimes he would scream out his atrocities. Ben had taken to gagging himself at night so he wouldn’t reveal their identities. One night he almost broke Rey’s arm as she tried to wake him. He started tying his legs and arms to pegs he nailed to the floor.

It seemed like every night he would apologize as if it had just happened. “I’m so sorry about your arm,” he’d said as he bound his own wrists, a silent promise never to hurt her again.

Ben refused to even spar with her, instead working in the fields and watching herds until he could barely walk. He did anything the village elders asked, especially Jen and Rea, who had initially invited them into Qixi.

Rey, who knew hard continual labor, flourished here. Ben was… Ben, easily frustrated and slightly melodramatic over disagreements with others in the village.

She once found him making a dent in a tree as he murmured. “Of course I can smile. I am not some ‘golem’ or whatever the kriff they were talking about! Absolutely ridiculous!” he muttered into the tree. Rey moved to stand behind him, barely holding back laughter. Once he was calm enough she spoke. She had heard some of the men speaking about the creature Ben spoke of once, some lifeless being of dirt brought to life.

“I’ve never seen you smile. Not really,” she managed to say with a straight face. Ben whirled around, looking positively beastly. He looked like he wanted to scream in frustration, but he swallowed it down and dropped bloodied fists to his sides.

“Don’t you dare laugh at me too,” he said with a pout, looking more like a young boy than the hulking man he was.

Rey bit her lip to contain herself and pulled him into an embrace instead. She let herself grin madly into the fabric that smelled like turned earth and cut stems -- that smelled like home. Ben’s crushing embrace spoke of his inexperience. Or perhaps Rey’s light touch spoke more of hers.

 

This harvest season Ben had been given a great honor. At this year’s Weaver’s festival he was chosen to play the role of Kengyu, the herder who took a goddess for a wife. In turn, Rey was to play Sasanagi, the weaver goddess.

For one week they would be separated, then brought together again on the seventh day. Their grief in parting and their happiness in reunion would bring the village luck. A sacrifice of love to ease the pain of the seperated heavenly lovers.

Ben had, at first, tried to reject the “honor,” terrified of the attention it would bring them. His trepidation was easily overruled by Rey.

“It’s a tradition of all newlywed couples. It would only bring attention if we refused. They’ll let you sleep here, and I’ll stay with Jen, Jiknyeo, and Zhinü.”

“I don’t know if I can take it,” he responded quickly. And after a night of very Ben-like sulking he came around. He no longer had the energy to be full of rage as he once was, and he refused to show show any sign of Kylo Ren that others might recognize.

 

The next night the men of the village came to Ben and Rey’s small house. Rey was dressed in the many layered robes of Sasanagi, the goddess she would play for the next seven days.

She quietly ascended a pallet which the men carried, with Ben walking beside her, and they made their way to the river which bisected the village. All around them were long streamers floating in the breeze and lanterns along the path. Women and children waited on the other side of a small bridge singing and playing small drums.

“ Bamboo leaves are rustling, rustling

Swaying close to the roof’s edge

Oh how the stars are twinkling, twinkling

Gold and silver grains of sand .”

Rea, playing the role of the Sky God and Sasanagi’s father, stood before Ben and Rey, stopping the procession. The platform was lowered and the two were allowed a single kiss before Rey was carried across the bridge to the other ‘sky goddesses’.

The men joined the singing as they walked back with Ben.

“The colorful paper strips

I have already written

The stars are twinkling, twinkling

They watch us from Heaven.”

For the next seven days Rey would not be allowed to walk on bare ground, for she was a goddess.

For the next seven days Ben would work tirelessly, alone without her there.

 

\--- One month later---

They knew somehow that they would be found.

Someone must have recognized them at some point.

Ben blamed himself.

They considered going back into hiding, especially before Jen and Rea found out -- before Aquila got pulled into their mess.

Ben was tired of running and hiding.

Rey started having nightmares, and Ben unbound his hands at night so he could hold her. Only he could make the horrible visions go away. 

It was Finn that came to them in the end and somehow convinced them to fight against the remnants of the First Order.

Rey didn’t want to see her husband suffer anymore.

Rey was sitting under the tree with the dented bark when Ben found her. She refused to look at him, instead looking out to the farms beyond. She still didn’t want to leave, though duty compelled her.

“If I do this-- If we do this, the nightmares could go away... for both of us, “ Ben said, sitting beside her and pulling her against him. He was trembling. He spoke as if he could convince himself.

“Maybe I could make up for a fraction of the damage--” he started.

“And then they will take you away!” Rey spat out, cutting him off. She still refused to look at him, as if the warmth of him would disappear the moment she did. Finn appeared at the back door of their small house.

“The New Republic has promised a pardon for all of Kylo Ren’s crimes, as I said,” Finn reminded them with exhaustion in his voice. He kept his distance as he had any time Ben was around. 

It was the way all would react to him once again the moment they left the planet. Every place they went there were whispers of “Kylo Ren” whenever Ben passed. No matter how tirelessly he made himself fight, even losing an arm in the process, no matter how much he helped break the empire he built -- it was never enough.

Empty promises unraveled before Ben and Rey.

Ben blamed himself for not doing enough.

Rey just wanted Ben’s nightmares to die with his past.

 

They came in the night, while Rey and Ben slept. Rey was grabbed and harshly held back as they dragged Ben from the bed and cuffed him. He didn’t fight back. He didn’t speak a word of complaint even as Rey screamed and fought.

Ben was tired of fighting.

Rey was terrified they would kill him.

Rey didn’t regret the men she killed that night. She didn’t regret the sobs that tore through her body as they pried her away from Ben’s prone form. 

“It’s okay, Rey,” he told her, his voice calm and steady.

“Be strong for me,” his voice cracked, and Rey shattered at the sound of it. She exploded, and the shrapnel of her anger left no man unscathed that terrible night.

The proceeding trial was reported as surprisingly fair by the special council who ran it. Ben Solo, formally known as Kylo Ren would live in permanent exile.

One day, after Rey had attempted to enter the prison she was greeted by the head of the council himself. Tentei,a tall brooding man with piercing beady eyes was swathed in the flowing robes of his position. Towering over Rey he spoke to her in a tone of warning and pity.

“You stay away from him, and all of this unless you want to be thrown in your own cell.”

Rey retreated to the small ship she had brought from Aquila. On it was a smaller, modified version of her loom. She had been given half a cargo hold worth of thread to work with as a gift from Qixi. She refused to speak with anyone and sat in defiant silence, weaving yards of fabric.

She had no one; all were betrayers, promise-breakers, and enemies.

Except Rose. At first, Finn sent her to bring food rations for Rey. She would sit next to Rey for hours on end, quiet and patient. 

“No matter what vitriol Tentei spouts, I know Ben Solo. He dove in front of me to protect me from a bomb, and lost his arm. I owe him my life. All of us who fought with him do.”

“That was you?” Rey asked quietly finally breaking her silence, able to feel the ghost of metal fingers tracing her arms. This seemed to be enough to prompt Rose to start speaking about small things: what she liked, how amazing her sister Paige was, how terrible and unfair she thought this whole affair was. 

A week later Rose asked, “Maybe you could teach me how to weave?”

Rey’s resolve began to fray at the possibility of companionship.

“Sit here,” Rey said, quickly standing, her tone demanding and cold. But Rose did what she asked, and the lessons began. Rey only spoke as needed, but Rose told what she knew of the trial and what she had been able to see of Ben.

Rey poured out her anger in a tangle of stories of what had been promised, the peaceful life they could have led, and her newer, more terrifying nightmares.

Rose became Rey’s eyes and ears, and in turn, Rey taught her everything she knew. 

One day while Rey taught Rose to set the loom Rose said,

“I got wind of a rumor yesterday. Tentei had a daughter who died under -- unfortunate circumstances during a First Order raid, back when Ben was still with them. Finn heard that’s why he forced his way to the head of the council, to avenge his daughter’s death. Tentei denies it, of course.”

“Isn’t that a conflict of interest?”

“We can’t prove anything. I can look into it, though.”

In the next few months, Rose helped convince the council to let Rey visit Ben during his exile and to allow communication, even with Tentei fighting her every step of the way. She had become even more fierce and unrelenting under Rey’s tutelage. And Rey had learned to soften herself in order to let things move as smoothly as they could from here.

And it all led to Rey being able to see Ben before he was taken to his exile.

 

It had been half a cycle since the night they took Ben from her. Today, she had finally been allowed special access to the prison where he had been kept. It was surprising to see a vision of the past before her. He was clad once more in his old black robes. The braids he had once worn had been shorn off, rather harshly it seemed from the angle of the shortened waves of hair that fell around his neck.

Ben sat on a low bed facing the wall in front of him, decidedly not looking at her.

“They refused to give me anything else to wear. I know how much you hate the darker colors,” he said, robotic fingers moving to run through his hair. He had lost that arm fighting for the people that now imprisoned him. Rey felt rage coursing through her at the thought, but she swallowed it down and sat down next to her husband. She laid down a small package wrapped in coarse fabric beside her on the bed.

Their hands laced together.

“Did the nightmares ever go away?” she asked stiffly, trying to be strong. She watched his face contort in pain, the circles beneath his eyes looking darker than ever. He turned to look at the tangle of sheets tied to the edge of the bed and shook his head.

“Nothing ever truly goes away, does it?”

“No,” Rey replied, her hand gripping tighter onto his. He felt so cold. Any color he had gained on Aquila had faded, and it was hard not to see the man he once was. And it seemed the council had wanted for all to see that.

But Rey had lost the fear of that man long ago.

“Do you know where they are taking you?” Rey asked gingerly.

“Some lonely, dark, and desolate place, I am sure,” There was a careful absence of emotion as Ben spoke, Rey only able to note how weary he sounded.

“You think they will actually let us visit once a cycle?” Rey felt herself more pondering aloud than asking. She felt weary of all this -- the not knowing, the cycles of agreements and broken promises.

Ben shifted beside her, moving to get off the bed. He knelt down before Rey and met her gaze. Rey stood in surprise, taking Ben’s hand and trying to pull him to rise.

“What are you doing?” she asked, but Ben only pulled her hand towards his lips. He took a deep breath and spoke.

“Rey, I want to swear to you that we will never truly be parted. A promise I swear by the Jedi, the Sith, the Force, a destiny which has interwoven our lives so tightly no distance will ever truly loosen our bond,” Ben vowed holding Rey’s hand, the durasteel coating of his robotic arm unnaturally warm against her skin.

It must have been a well-rehearsed speech, for his tone was clear and convincing. Rey could see his mother’s ability to command a room in how he spoke, and a million other possible lives came to mind. How things could have been so different. But that was not their twist of fate.

The door opened then, and a group of armed men entered the room led by the head of the council. Tentei’s eyes met with Rey’s with a moment of sympathy as if seeing someone beyond her. Rey felt Ben flinch under her as the councilman’s eyes narrowed in disdain, looking down at Ben.

Ben refused to move, his lips pressed to Rey’s hand as he knelt before her.

Tentei stepped forward, a hand moving to claw onto Ben’s shoulder, making Ben flinch once more.

“It is time to go,” Tentei commanded, his long nails digging deep into Ben’s shoulder. Ben winced as blood soaked up through the fabric. Rey bit her lip as Ben looked up at her begging for her silence with unshed tears. Rey said nothing, grinding her teeth as the guards moved into a defensive position.

“Yes, it is,” Ben replied slowly standing, his hand gripping Rey’s tightly. He pulled Rey into one of his crushing embraces. She wrapped her arms around him as tight as she could. A shift of the guardsmen forced them to pull apart, and Rey quickly grabbed the package from the bed and shoved it into Ben’s hands. She glared at the councilman, daring him to say anything.

Tentei was mercifully silent.

Ben carefully pulled back the rough fabric to reveal white, grey, and tan stripes woven in intricate designs. He knew it was clothing Rey had made for him.

“They should last you about a cycle. Then I can give you a new set when I see you,” Rey said staring pointedly at the councilman once more. A smirk appeared at the corner of Ben’s lips at her boldness.

“I’ll try to not ruin them. I will see you in a cycle then,” Ben replied, quickly kissing Rey and taking a step towards the door. The councilman let out a breath Rey hadn’t noticed he was holding and followed behind the two former Force users. They silently walked hand in hand, surrounded by guards. Behind them, Tentei’s gaze seemed to burn into their backs.

They reached the ship that would transport Ben, and there Rey and Ben were forced to untwine themselves.

Rey stayed and watched until she couldn’t see a hint of the ship that carried her husband away from her.


	2. Warp and Weft

_ \--Warp and Weft-- _

_ the vertical and horizontal threads of a loom _

 

_ \--- _

 

_ Clack! _ Breathe in.  _ Clack! _ Breathe out.

 

Rey moved in rhythm with her modified loom, the sound of the wood hitting wood echoing against the durasteel walls of the ship. She felt the ship creak as it shifted out of hyperspace. 

 

“You wanna help me land?” a voice called from the front cabin. Rey stopped her work and stretched quickly before joining Rose. 

 

The view struck Rey as they started the landing process on the only planet she would ever call home, Aquila. It lay before her, patchwork fields spread between large mountains which created natural barriers between the villages and cities.  

 

Rey took the controls, leading the ship towards her home village, Qixi. Rose sat in respectful silence beside her.

 

“I haven’t been here since we left for the last battles,” Rey said quietly, her voice somber. Rose could understand how painful it must have been after Ben was exiled. 

 

“He keeps telling me to come back before our visit,” Rey continued. 

 

“He said he wants one of all the decorations and to hear how everyone is doing. He wanted me to remind you -- again,” Rose added quietly, smiling. 

 

“How did he get that to you?” Rey asked turning enough to raise an eyebrow at her friend who only grinned back.

 

“Benefits of being head of Denab station. They forwarded it through to me,” Rose said with an air of authority. She and a small crew ran the space station that was in orbit around the planet Ben was kept on. It was supposed to make sure he couldn’t leave, but in reality, it was more to protect him.

 

It was technically a volunteer position, but well paid. The only people who worked there in quarter cycle shifts tended to be ones who Ben had fought with directly. As cruel as he had been with the First Order, he was as caring working for the Republic. Rey remembered how hard he’d pushed himself to try to pull away from his former image, even though it exhausted him. 

 

She used to joke with him about it sometimes, back when they lived in Qixi, “I’m glad you are weak in at least one way. You know, all those muscles in your face you must have forgotten existed for smiling, eh?” Rey would say, mushing his face with her hands, which usually led to playful wrestling and both of them grinning. She would never forget how Ben always let her win.    
  
Rey could imagine the grin that Ben would be sporting if he was here watching the landscape with her now. During the landing sequence, Rey spotted her old house and felt a stirring of remembrance. 

 

She could imagine how things could have been so different, how she could have woken up next to her husband this morning. Rea likely had given the house to another couple, which was only reasonable. Rey liked that idea far more than it lying cold and haunted only by happy memories. 

 

After landing, Rey went out to see lanterns of the festival flickering not too far from the landing pad. An elderly couple waited nearby, dressed in traditional robes. Jen and Rea had aged well, and Rey couldn’t help herself from running down the ramp of the ship to greet them. 

 

“My child, welcome home,” Jen said, pulling Rey into an embrace first, the long blue sleeves of her robe wrapping around Rey’s shoulders like a blanket. Rea stood back, looking Rey over. 

 

“You still wear the braids,” he acknowledged with pride in his voice. 

 

“I have woven my heart into my home, and my braids hold it close in my memory,” Rey recited perfectly what the elders had taught her what seemed like so long ago. The elderly man smiled at her. 

 

Rose had made her way off the platform after making sure everything was in order and walked over to Rey who pulled herself from the older woman’s arms with minor reluctance. 

 

“Jen and Rea, this is Rose. She is my best co-pilot and a great friend to both Ben and me,” Rey said, putting an arm around Rose. Jen moved closer and pulled Rose into a hug, with the smaller women nearly disappearing within the long sleeves of the robe.  

 

“Welcome, my child, “ Rea said with a bow of his head once Jen released Rose. Jen turned to look towards the ship expectantly.

 

“Where is Ben?” Jen asked. The smile melted from Rey’s face. 

 

_ \---1st call--- _

 

Rey and Rose sat back in the small lounge of their ship, the _ Kasasagi, _ the holovid projector glowing in front of them. 

 

“So what did you tell them?” the blue holovid image of Ben asked gingerly as he sat cross-legged on a wooden platform sorting ghodi rice.

 

Rey and Rose looked at each other quickly, deciding who would speak first. 

 

“That you were tending the herd and it was just past harvest time on our new home planet, while I had missions to the Republic,” Rey started.

 

“So half truths,” he said with a spot of relief. Rey knew how much he still wished for the people of Qixi to only know him as Ben, the herdsman who smiled too little and worked too hard. 

 

“Rey pointed them to your star in the sky,” Rose added. “She was able to find it within a minute of walking off the ship. I could tell.” Rey blushed, and Ben smiled. 

 

“I was looking at Aquila's star this morning as well. I dreamed about the seventh night, the way you looked so restless as they carried you back across the bridge,” Ben said. Rey laughed slightly but eyed Ben’s wrists. She had seen a lot more bruising than usual over the last few months.

 

“You try not being able to really move around for a whole week. I was ready to jump off that pallet into your arms. Speaking of, the chosen Sasanagi this year was very beautiful. We got here just before the procession started, “ Rey said, trying to hold back her excitement. 

 

“Did you remember the words to the weaver song?” Ben teased. Rey stuck out her tongue at him, and Rose laughed, sitting back and letting the couple have their moment. She practiced braiding a long length of hair like Rey had taught her. 

 

“The couple is supposed to be very auspicious this year, since they are named for the separated lovers. They looked very nervous, of course. The poor girl was drowning in the robes.”     
  
“Pretty sure anyone would drown in that many layers of fabric,” Rose chimed in. Rey turned to her.

 

“They are lighter than you think, surprisingly. And once she is settled in the ‘ _ goddess’s house _ ’ for the week, she only has to wear one. I never did get used to the long sleeves though, I will admit. Traditional or not, they are  _ terrible _ for weaving,” Rey said with a groan. 

 

“You must have looked beautiful though,” Rose said. 

 

“She was. I will never forget the way she looked as they let her walk back to me on the final night,” Ben said, his voice quiet as his mind wandered into memory. 

 

Rey took the chance to pull a bag from the edge of the seat into view, pulling out a handful of colorful paper charms (all handwritten with well wishes for Ben and Rey), small paper cranes, purses, nets, and a set of long streamers connected to a small lantern. She pulled them all out onto the table .

 

“By the way, since you asked for them, and Rose told Jen and Rea, you get the pleasure of finding room for all of these in the storehouse,” Rey said with a gleam of mischief. Ben’s eyes widened at the height of the pile of decorations, but he looked no less happy about seeing them.

 

“You mean, _ you _ get to find the room in the storehouse. I am going to have to build a second one if you keep this up,” Ben teased back.

 

“Fine. Maybe I won’t bring back all the food recipes for the festival food though. Too bad, since Jen commanded me to come to her house tomorrow to check on my cooking and weaving,” Rey threatened lightly. Ben opened his mouth as if in shock when Rose stopped working on her braid.

 

“Commanded? You mean ‘agreed to’ when you nudged her about it  _ all  _ night. And we all know it’s because you get to eat everything you guys make,” Rose said, her tone flat as she stared Rey down. Rey glared back at the betrayal but broke into a smirk. Ben watched the girls with amusement. 

 

“Like you didn’t want to join us. You already claimed your third of the food.“

 

“Woah now, I just wanna watch the masters at work. Maybe I can learn how to actually cook or weave well,” Rose said, going back to her braid, curling her legs against her chest. Rey and Ben looked at each other through the holovid and both sighed.

 

“You are learning quickly, Rose. Sure as hell better than I can. I don’t have the patience for either,” Ben quickly said. Rey looked back at Rose.

 

“He almost set fire to the house  _ three times _ trying to cook,” Rey said.

 

“Two times. That last one was the stove’s fault,” Ben corrected. Rose uncurled her legs. 

 

“And you really got the braids down. I could tell Jen was impressed when she first saw you,” Rey continued, placing a hand on Rose’s shoulder and getting a smile in response. 

 

“They are just really nice for keeping my hair back when I work,” Rose replied meekly.

 

“As soon as my hair grew in long enough, I started wearing the braids again. For a while, I’d forgotten how I ever lived with my hair half in my eyes,” Ben said, going back to his rice sorting. 

 

“By the way, is the next set of threading ready for when I get there?” Rey prodded, starting to put the pile of decorations and charms back in the bag. 

 

“All set. Got it done yesterday. Did your new sett work out for this year’s clothes?” Ben asked. 

 

“Finished them last week. I wanted to wait to show you until I got there, but --” Rey jumped from the couch and grabbed the bag as she left the room. Ben and Rose watched her go, laughing at her excitement for a moment. Ben’s expression turned serious as he took a deep breath.

 

“How is she really doing?” Ben asked.

 

“It’s rough. But she’s strong. You both are,” Rose replied, her tone matching his.

 

“How is the investigation going?” Ben asked. Rose looked over her shoulder before leaning in.

 

“I saw what Tentei did to you. The footage from the cell, before you were brought to Vega.” Rose’s voice cracked slightly as her hands became fists. Ben’s eyes widened before he shivered, remembering.

 

“Rose, please -- just be careful what you tell Rey. It’s my burden to bear -- It’s evidence you can use to take him down, “ Ben sputtered out in a hushed tone. 

 

“She won’t thank you for hiding this.”

 

“I don’t want her thanks, just her safety. Just until Tentei is revealed for the insect he is.” Ben’s voice didn’t leave any room to argue, and Rose nodded. She heard Rey starting to make her way back.

 

Rose looked back once more and cautiously asked, “So how are the boys doing in the field this year?”

 

Ben knowingly followed her lead.

 

“For men who are supposed to be my ‘guards’, not too bad. Niulong apparently did some kind of farming growing up, but nothing like this. Planting while knee deep in mud by hand made him reconsider nudging the council to let me have something motorized down here. Kaiboshi, he is a bit hopeless. I think he fell into the mud more than he actually planted,” Ben said.

 

“Stars, that makes me feel like a pro.”    
  
“You do it the best, Rose. Always have. I just appreciate the company, you know,” Ben said, trying to keep the mood light as Rey re-appeared with a pair of pants, showing them off. 

 

“These should be a lot of more durable than last year’s set. I have gotten my thread count really high, and everything should be two layered. How are our children?” she asked. 

 

Rose snorted, “Rey, I forgot to tell you--” Rose started, but Ben shot her a warning look. She ignored it, looking far too eager to tell a story from her time down on Lyra (as she often did).   
  
“So Ben is doing his herding deal with the Tomuon,  _ ’the children _ ’, one day, and Sirutteok comes up to him and promptly sits on him like she did when she was a calf. Ben was calling out like ‘BWaaaaaaaa!’,” Rose squealed as she scrunched her face up, squinting her eyes and flailing her arms and legs out. Rey barked out a laugh. 

 

“So the children are being children. Got it.” Rey noted Ben’s ears and face getting redder by the second. He glared at Rose who promptly hid behind Rey’s chair. 

 

“I just want to note, Rose commed me laughing so hard she could barely breathe  _ before  _ sending RIC over to nudge Sirutteok off me. And hell, even he seemed amused. A labor droid -- amused!” 

 

Still hiding behind Rey’s chair, both Rey and Ben heard Rose cracking up.

 

“No regrets.” 

 

\---2nd call---

 

Rey sat in the lounge, enjoying a moment away from all the chaos of the festival. Rose went to watch the herdsmen’s games after sending a message to Denab station that Rey would be patching through soon. 

 

The holovid projector flickered on, bathing the area in a blue glow as Niulong appeared on screen, still in working clothes and covered in flecks of mud. He looked distressed for sure, as he tried to give a tired smile to Rey. 

 

“Ben should just be getting home in a few minutes,” he said, sitting in one of the seats, running his hands through short tangled hair. 

 

“Was the field work hard this cycle?” Rey asked cautiously.

 

“More like Tentei is acting like a load of tomuon dung. He’s been making all sorts of demands for the last week about our operations, and threatening to send a team to ‘investigate the station’ whatever that means. I wonder if he’s going to bust us for ‘daring’ to help Ben with the field work,” Niulong continued with an eye roll. Rey nodded sympathetically.

 

“He just enjoys the power trip of making all us suffer. I say who cares if your job is supposed to only be watching him from the station. You would be bored to tears, right? Don’t worry, soon he’ll be replaced. Then we can send him a load of tomuon dung,” Rey said with a snort. That was enough to make Niulong smile. 

 

“I will make sure that is the first order of business then. Anyway, let me send you through,” the man said as he pressed a few buttons, and his image faded, turning into Ben’s face. He was changing from a set of older clothes Rey gave him -- two years before -- to the newest set. 

 

Even through the blue three-dimensional image, the woman couldn’t help but notice the wounds of war that covered Ben’s entire upper body. Many of them had been healed enough to turn into silvery scars, but several would stay darkened ridges of rough skin for the rest of his life. 

 

“So have you seen how this year’s Kengyu is doing?” Ben asked, sitting down and starting to undo the braids that pulled back from his scalp to the back of the head. 

 

“Almost as poorly as you did,” Rey said calmly, remembering vividly how anxious Ben had been about the herdsmen’s games. He knew he couldn’t refuse the various fighting or wrestling matches that the games entailed, but he has found his own way around it. 

 

Ben refused to fight, losing every single match. 

 

“Poor kid must be sore by now.” 

 

“He did look sore for sure, but no one would ever be as brave as you,” Rey said, remembering the bruises he took weeks to recover from. She noticed fresh bruising on his wrists again and wondered if it was new nightmares or just anxiety that brought him to bind himself once more. She didn’t like seeing the marks but knew the act of binding himself was calming, reminding him of when she was with him on Aquila. 

 

“If you mean utterly stupid, yes. I was very sore and stupid,” Ben said with a dark laugh, pulling out the last tangle of the braids, his hair falling forward partially covering his face in long waves. 

 

“I hear things have been rough lately,” Rey said, eyeing Ben’s wrists. He withdrew them into his sleeves and bit his lip .

 

“Nothing I’m not used to.” 

 

“Ben,” Rey warned. “Don’t you put on a brave face with me. It only worries me.”    
  
“You do the same,” Ben said back defensively. Rey stared him down.

 

“You talk first then.”  

 

“With Tentei cracking down on everything, everyone has been on edge up on the station. I hate them dealing with that nerfherder because of me,” he started with a sigh. He shuddered out a breath. “And the nightmares have been bad.” 

 

“About what?” Rey asked, her voice softened.

 

“Heavy storms, lightning, and falling stars... The bridge in Qixi collapsing just as you are about to cross. The herdsman and the weaver goddess separated for yet another cycle, and the village weeping with them.” 

 

Rey remembered hearing about a meteor shower that was supposed to pass near the planet in the next few days. She had wondered whether or not she should leave early. Rose said there would be nothing wrong if they left early and stayed at Denab station for a few days. 

 

“I could always head your way a bit earlier. Rose and I were discussing it earlier. There might be a meteor shower that would be rough to navigate through, so if we--”

 

“Don’t leave. Especially not because of me,” Ben interrupted, his voice full of guilt. “I know how much you loved the last day of the festival. I want you be there to watch it. For the both of us.” 

 

Rey heard the hiss of the landing platform opening and Rose calling as she headed towards them. Ben silently asked Rey to drop it, and she threw up her hands, giving in for the moment. 

 

Time to put brave faces back on. 

 

“I am so excited to see the final night. Everyone kept talking about it,” Rose said coming into the lounge and standing behind the seating area. She waved to Ben who smiled and waved back.

 

“Stars, it was so awkward when we did it. Besides my jelly legs and Ben’s exhaustion, they bound our hands together for the night. His right to my left,” Rey started as she turned around to face Rose. Ben pinched his nose with two fingers at the memory getting a giggle from Rose.

 

“Do tell, then,” Rose prodded. Rey looked back to the holovid image, but Ben waved at her to continue.

 

“Imagine how hard it is to eat, let alone go the bathroom or dance,” Rey continued.

 

“I still had my good hand, so I had to feed her all night long. Don’t let her fool you, Rose. Rey loved it.” 

 

“I like food, no matter how I get it,” Rey huffed. “You should have seen Ben trying to dance. My poor feet.”

 

“Hey, I hadn’t been forced to dance since I was a child,” Ben said, his voice edging on defensive. Rose held her arms up as she walked around and sat down.

 

“Wait! Wait, you danced as a child?” Rose exclaimed, her head tilting in confusion as she tried to imagine the sight. Ben groaned and Rey took her turn to laugh. Rose eventually broke into laughter with her, leaving Ben to throw his hands up in defeat.

 

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up ladies. I had two left feet then as well.” 

 

\--3rd call—

 

“You sure about this, Ben?” Rey asked, worry bleeding through her tone. 

 

“I’m sure. Even if the meteor shower does happen, I’m sure it will pass quickly, and I’m only a short hyperspace jump away. You’ve been talking about going back there for years now,” Ben encouraged, reaching his hand out towards the projector. Rey mirrored him. They both worried about Rey and Rose’s ability to pilot around the storm to meet Ben, but he seemed confident enough that everything would be fine.

 

“I love you. I’ll call again soon,” Rey promised.

 

“I love you so much.” 

 

The room became dark as the holovid turned off. 

 

Rey curled up on the seat, trying to hold herself together. 


	3. Sett

_ \--Sett-- _

_ Number of warp threads per inch in weaving. The “pattern” in the fabric. _

 

\---

 

Rey stood outside of her ship, the _Kasanagi,_ looking up at Ben’s star, Vega. She felt so stupid. Streaks of light had already begun to fall across the sky, slowly obscuring Rey’s view of the star. She squinted her eyes to keep watch as her hand slowly reached out towards it, towards him. A twinge inside of her yearned to reach into the force she had long ago abandoned, as if that could let her see him. 

 

It wasn’t too late. If they left now, Rey was confident she could navigate the meteors raining down around the planet. Her fists clenched as she headed up the ramp and towards the cockpit. 

 

Rose stood in the doorway, blocking Rey’s way. Her small frame shook with anger. 

 

“You can’t go,” Rose’s usually kind voice had turned to stone. Rey felt her body move back in shock at the coldness, then anger began to rise within her.

 

“Try to stop me,” Rey responded through gritted teeth, trying to nudge by Rose. A steely grip wrapped around her arm. 

 

“It’s dangerous for  _ Ben _ , not us. Tentei took control of Denab station,” Rose hissed back, her stony demeanor cracking and acid oozing out in its place. Her fingers clawed into Rey’s arm, which was enough to stop her from trying to move.

 

“Why?” Rey said in disbelief. She knew Tentei was up for re-election soon, and it was likely he would be replaced. This felt like something else. Rose’s grasp loosened on her arm. Rey glared at her friend who shifted uncomfortably beneath  her gaze.

 

“I have to confess something. Something I have been working on for a long time. I’ll explain inside.” 

 

In the lounge, Rose brought a datapad Rey had never seen before. 

 

“Remember a long time ago, when I spoke of the strangeness of how Tentei got his position as head of the council? I was right about his conflict of interest.” Rose said as she handed Rey the datapad and pressed on it to start a holovid of some kind. 

 

From the corner of a cell, in grainy footage Rey saw Tentei holding some kind of baton with electricity sparking off the end. Before him was a person -- Ben -- lying on the ground wearing a tattered prisoner’s uniform. 

 

“You don’t deserve that woman you call wife. You only drag her down into the depths of your sins. You have taken enough lives. Release her,” Tentei said, circling Ben. 

 

“That is not my choice,” Ben said in an unwavering tone. The baton was thrust toward his shoulder, the same shoulder Rey remembered Tentei digging his fingers into. Rey paused the holovid taking deep breaths. 

 

Rose swiped the datapad to show a different scene. She looked to Rey, waiting. Rey bit down on her lip and made the holovid play. 

 

Ben’s arms were cuffed behind his back and bound to a railing in the wall. A guard held him by the neck as Tentei used a vibroblade to cut Ben’s braids. Ben struggled,

 

“Please, stop. That’s all I have left of my home,” Ben breathed out through small gulps of breath.

 

Tentei laughed as the guard gripped Ben’s neck tighter in response, “I merely cut away this disguise of yours, that makes you seem like something you are not. You played the cowherd well enough to fool backwards peasants, but you don’t fool me.” 

 

“I don’t want to deceive anyone,” Ben bit out before the guard gagged him. A moment later Tentei and the guard left, and Ben was still bound to the wall, body shaking as he looked down at the shorn braids.

 

Rey shoved the datapad away from her. Rose took it and swiped one more time. Rey turned away, but she couldn’t drown out the councilman’s grating voice,

 

“Perhaps I should just kill the one you call wife. It would be a mercy to her. What was her name again? Rey, was it?” 

 

“Do what you want to me, but don’t you dare touch her!” Ben screamed.

 

“Or else what, murderer?” 

 

And silence. Then Rey heard Rose put down the datapad. 

 

“We have almost enough evidence to bring Tentei down without him being able to use his connections to get away. But -- Somehow he must have found out we had this. He must have gotten desperate,” Rose said, her tone urgent. 

 

“What do we do?” Rey asked, her voice grave. 

 

“We planned for this as best as we could. Ben, too.”

 

“Ben knows?!” Rey huffed out a hand gripping the couch edge in a vice grip. 

 

“He knew if you found out, you might go after Tentei. He didn’t want to lose you. But the difference now is, you can help take him down for good.”

 

“What do I do?”

 

“Follow my lead, and that load of Tomuon dung will be finished for good this time,”Rose stated, the acid of her anger burning through each word.

 

Rey could only nod, watching her closest friend go to long awaited preparations. 

 

\---last call---

 

Rose set up the call for Ben at an appointed time with Denab station, which had originally been once a week for exactly 30 minutes and no more. Rose pulled out the braids she had worn the last few days and donned, for the first time in many years, the suit she was supposed to wear on official business and to denote herself as the head guard of the station.

 

“I still hate it,” she said, wrinkling her nose in distaste. Rey put on the robes she had been “gifted” for her role, some approximation of what the Jedi once wore. 

 

“That makes two of us,” Rey replied with a sigh. “Let’s get this over with.” 

 

Rose powered up the holovid projector. Her fingers ran over the control panel, and Niulong appeared before them. He wore his official jumpsuit, as all members of the station were supposed to, but the sight caused Rey to heave an internal sigh of relief. They had gotten everything set up right. 

 

Niulong looked livid, though desperately trying to hide it under a veneer of professionalism. 

 

“Leader Tico, Master Rey,” he started stiffly, addressing them by their respective titles. 

 

“Agent Chilseok, is the station in order?” Rose said, looking her part entirely as the head of the station. 

 

“Yes, Leader,” Niulong replied, his eyes flicking to the side. A guard in the New Republic uniform crossed behind him with clunky steps. “Councilman Tentei has been doing his rounds with the inspection as previously discussed, Leader. Do you wish to speak with him?” Niulong ended with a glint of impatient mischief.

 

“Let the councilman rest. I’m sure he will wish to speak with me soon enough.”

 

“Yes, Leader.”

 

“Master Rey wishes to speak to her husband as dictated by council agreement 77,” Rose continued after both heard an audible curse from someone behind Niulong, who didn’t so much as flinch. 

 

“Yes, Leader. 30 minutes, as dictated. I will contact the prisoner to inform him of your call. Then the transmission will be begin. Stand by.” 

 

“Thank you, Agent.”

 

And then the screen went blank for a moment. Rey drew in a deep gulp of air after the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Rose pulled her into a hug. 

 

“We’ll get through this. All of us. Niulong already sent me everything I’ll need during your call. Tentei and his men should be watching you which will make things easier for us.” Rose spoke with a confidence Rey only wished she could have now. 

 

Rose pulled out her datapad and a message popped up. 

 

_ Tentei is down on the planet. Just as expected. All defensive droids are in place for back-up. All weapon precautions were taken. All set to roll. _

 

\---

 

Rey was terrified Tentei would kill Ben, or damn well try. She didn’t want to see her husband suffer anymore. She longed for his nightmares to die with his past. 

 

She had to be strong for him -- for everyone. Rey hugged Rose back with all her strength before releasing her to sit down. She adjusted the panels of her robes while Rose moved to the back of the ship with her secure comms and hacked datapad. 

 

The datapad would allow Rose to control parts of the station remotely or to access the right people and droids who could. Working behind pipes for a portion of her career had allowed her to train every crewman to move unseen throughout her station and to understand its mechanics intimately. 

 

They had feared this kind of event would occur. 

 

Rose’s men would not let her down. 

 

Rey just had to talk to Ben. On her datapad flashed a message,

 

_ Remember. Tentei  is looking for excuses to get to Ben. Don’t give him one.  And try not to be alarmed by Ben’s appearance. _

 

A pause and then another message.

 

_ Don’t hate him for what he’s done. _

 

\---

 

Rey braced herself for the worst but couldn’t help flinching at the sight of her husband. 

 

_ Someone _ had gotten to him, even as the official rules dictated that  _ no one _ was supposed to go down to the planet besides Rey or Rose, officially anyway. 

 

She first noticed his shorn hair, which now fell loosely around his shoulders. It reminded her of the day in the prison cell, the day he went to his exile. One of Ben’s eyes was swollen shut surrounded by a ring of blue. His lips were cracked and cut, his jaw bruised. He wore one of the high-necked shirts Rey had made for him, and she could only assume he was sparing her the worst of it. 

 

“Hey,” Ben said meekly. 

 

“Hey.” Rey couldn’t stop the tremble in her voice. She squeezed her eyes closed for a moment trying to contain herself. 

 

They had hurt him. She could do nothing. 

 

She had to be strong. 

 

“I looked for your star last night. Aquila is always one of the brightest in the sky from here, you know.” Ben’s tone was calming, trying so hard to help. Rey didn’t want to know if one of Tentei’s men was still on planet with him or if it was just Tentei himself. If so, how close were they? Were they just offscreen?

 

“I saw Vega’s as well, before the meteor shower started. Bad luck to happen on the day of the reunion. Kengyu and Sasanagi will not be able to meet this year it seems.” Rey chose her words carefully, her tone mournful. 

 

“I’m not sure a meteor shower counts as rainfall. The bridge of magpies might bring them together after all,” Ben responded with hope.

 

“Only the stars know,” Rey said with uncertainty. 

 

“Have the elders run you into the ground yet?” Ben continued. His defiance shone through in his refusal to acknowledge his state of distress.

 

“They damn well tried. They expect me to dance tonight.”

 

“Afraid you’ll lose a toe?” Ben managed to re-open a cut on his lip as he smirked. 

 

“I’d be more afraid of you losing one in that state. Who in the herd got frisky with you? Was it Yakitori? I still think he’s mad at you for that name.” Rey played along, the rhythm of their banter comforting.

 

“It’s a wonderful name, only for my favorite food. He should be honored.” Rey shook her head, allowing the tiniest of smiles to creep through. 

 

“He must know it means he’s dead meat one day. Why else would he go after you as often as he does?” 

 

“He’s just a tomuon, Rey. They aren’t that smart.” 

 

“Or are they?” Rey countered, her voice raising in suspicion.

 

“Yakitori would be on my plate if he ever truly went out of line. No worries.”

 

“You know I’ll come do it myself, no matter how prized the wool is. Tomuon meat is very tender, I hear.” 

 

Ben put a hand over his chest, mouth gaping open as if insulted. “That’s it, you’re not allowed near the herd anymore. If they ever heard you talking in such a way, they would be so insulted.”

 

“Well, you’re the one who said they aren’t that smart. If they can’t feel spite, then they can’t be insulted.” 

 

Ben crossed his arms over his chest in defeat on that point. 

 

Another message popped up on Rey’s datapad.

 

_ Confirmed. Only Tentei on planet. He’s close -- and watching. Be careful. _

 

Ben looked at her quizzically, even with one of his eyes swollen shut.  

 

“How is Leader Rose doing?” he inquired. 

 

“She wants to take part in the herdsmen’s games. She’s become quite ferocious, you know.”

 

“Any broken limbs are all on you, for the record. What kind of monster have you created?” Ben coughed out a laugh. 

 

“Any blame would be proudly taken. Thankfully they don’t allow people outside the village to participate. I fear for the men here if she had played.”

 

“Agreed.”

 

\---

  
  


Rey ended the call with a incoming call from the station. It was one of Tentei’s men. 

 

“Thirty minutes are up,” the man said before the screen went black. Rey turned in a panic to Rose who quickly sat back down besides her. The projector brought up a series of videos of security footage around the station. 

 

Another message came up on Rose’s datapad. 

 

_ Tentei is making his move. He thinks he is in control. All recording devices operational. Niulong out. _

Rose took Rey’s hand and gripped it tightly as the holo projector zoomed in on  one of the video feeds. Rey brought her hand to her mouth, biting down on the meat of her thumb as her stomach churned at her inability to do anything  but watch.

 

Rey could hear the booms as small bits of the meteor shower started to fall around them. 

 

Through the footage Rey watched Ben limp to his workroom, resolutely going back to sorting  ghobi rice. 

 

\---

 

The door to the small room was shoved open, and Ben refused to flinch. He could hear the sound of the blaster activating but merely took a deep breath and put aside the bowl full of small grains. Tentei slowly walked towards him, and Ben raised his hands but kept his eyes down. 

 

Tentei always seemed to hate when Ben looked at him directly, as if he couldn’t dare face that Ben was more than his past.  Any attempts to prove it had been met with a -- hostile response -- and he simply stopped trying. 

 

“Strip, prisoner,” came the simple command. Ben dared to flicker his gaze up to Tentei in confusion, only to have the blaster settle against his shoulder. 

 

Ben did so, slowly pulling off the comfort of Rey’s creations, pulling away the fabric they had worked on together even while light years apart. The high-necked shirt he held in his hands for a moment, ignoring the heat of the blaster now against his skin. 

 

He couldn’t think about Rey now. Everything could be undone. 

 

The pants came off next, leaving Ben down to a pair of loose shorts. 

 

“Hands empty,” Tentei commanded next.  

 

Knit fibers slid from his fingers onto the bench. Ben looked down at the pattern, slowly sliding towards the ground, the sett of it being fields of golden stalks being harvested. He heard the clank of cuffs being pulled from Tentei’s belt and felt them being tossed into his lap.

 

“Behind your back,” Tentei was starting to sound nervous now. Ben had never seen the man nervous before. Nervous meant unpredictable. Ben’s fist clenched as he put his wrist into the awaiting metal band, like a jaw ready to snap shut.  Gingerly he closed it and moved his other arm behind his back. 

 

Sweaty hands shoved his other arm into the awaiting cuff and closed it impatiently. Ben’s skin crawled at the sensation of being touched by his tormentor once more. He swore he would never let it happen again. 

 

“Lie on the ground,” Tentei sounded more confident now. Of course he did, the coward. 

 

Ben moved awkwardly to his knees before a boot met his upper back and shoved him down the rest of the way, his face hitting the packed dirt of the floor. He looked out the crack in the door, to the fields beyond. He regretted not having time to finish harvesting them today. The herd needed to be let out as well. The toumon tended to get antsy to roam open fields this time of year. 

 

Ben heard the sound of some metal rod being pulled from Tentei’s belt. His shoulder ached at the thought, and his body automatically went to curl in on itself, though hampered by the weight of the boot on his back. He felt something clink into his cuffs and the boot leave his back.  

 

_ Schlik! _ Metal sliding on metal as the bar was extended from his cuffs and Tentei stepped back.  

 

“Get up,” Tentei commanded, tugging on the bar. Ben struggled to his knees, feeling the dirt of the floor sticking to his face and chest. His wrists were tugged upwards by the bar with impatience and Ben managed to stand. The dirt clung to his legs as well, as the metal rod nudged Ben to walk forward through the door. 

 

Ben was forced to nudge it open with his shoulder, his right leg wobbling from the effort. He hadn’t gotten a chance to properly wrap it after what Tentei’s men had done to him the day before. He leaned heavily on his other leg as Tentei shoved him forward causing him to almost fall again. He heard Tentei laugh, a small cruel thing. 

 

\---

 

Small mounds of rock fell like hail onto the ship as meteors broke up in the atmosphere and rained their debris on the planet. The festival had been paused as everyone hid under cover. Rey could imagine all the beautiful decorations that had been so painstakingly set up, abandoned to the elements.

 

Rey couldn’t stand it anymore. 

 

“Please tell me that is enough,” she begged Rose. But Rose’s lips were pressed into a thin line of resolution, and her hands were white as they gripped the edges of her datapad.

 

“Not yet.”

 

The video feed shifted from the darkened workroom to outside the humble house. Moving from one camera feed to another, Rey was forced to watch Tentei pushing a limping Ben out to what looked like a large hole. 

 

\---

 

Ben did everything he could to not fight being forced to kneel in front of the large hole. He felt the rod extending into the ground and pulling his wrists down with it, planting him to the spot. He felt Tentei move to stand next to him, the blaster still loosely held in one hand.

 

His other hand moved to rest on Ben’s shoulder, a mocking gesture of comfort.

 

“When my wife left with my daughter, I called them crazy for going off to join some Force cult on Jakku. I gave up on them, praying the likes of the First Order would have no interest in such a backwards planet.”    
  
Ben remembered the heat of the planet, Rey’s first home, though she had always refused to call it that. He remembered the heat of the flames, the cries of women and children being herded together like shaak for the slaughter. Killed by his command. 

 

His head dipped lower, trying to remember any of the faces of the many scared and helpless people of that small village. But everything had blurred together. Tentei’s hand shifted to rest on the back of Ben’s head.

 

“My wife escaped somehow but my daughter -- ” Tentei stopped, gulping down whatever emotion was trying to stop him. “My daughter didn’t even get a grave. She was found half-buried in the sands, picked clean by scavengers. Your wife was a scavenger once, wasn’t she?” Tentei seemed thoughtful. 

 

Ben felt nauseous, able to imagine, far too easily, the bodies of the fallen lain out in the desert heat, slowly picked apart by the weather and by those who came across them. 

 

Tentei’s fingers gripped the small hairs at the back of Ben’s head. Ben grit his teeth, not saying a word as he eyed the blaster. Tentei laughed again.

 

“They seek to punish me?” Tentei said calmly as his knee connected with Ben’s chest, “When  _ you _ are the monster who killed my Xihe.” Ben felt blood drip from bruised lips as he tried to breathe but felt himself wheeze. 

 

“I’m sorry,” Ben choked out, not longer able to stay silent, “This -- this will not close the tear I created. I am sorry though. I would repent for her life every day of my own.”  

 

Tentei reeled back and punched Ben across the mouth, snapping his head sideways as more blood pooled from the edges of his lips. 

 

“How dare you preach to me, murderer.” 

 

Ben felt the blaster rest against his forehead. 

 

\---

 

“Rose! Make it stop.” Rey grabbed onto her friend, who stared transfixed on the screen. 

 

“Not. Yet.” Rose said through grit teeth, “Walk away if you can’t look.” 

 

Rey’s lips trembled as she bit back excuses. She couldn’t walk away from the man she had entwined her destiny with. Rey would forever be threaded into the history of who Ben once was and what he always carried.  She just felt like everything was fraying and would soon snap, leaving her to dangle with nothing more than broken bits of thread. 

 

\---

 

“You don’t deserve happiness. You don’t deserve a hole for your corpse,” Tentei’s voice had calmed once again. Ben looked up defiantly only to see Tentei looking out towards the horizon. 

 

“You only deserve to become forgotten bones left to rot under the sun and turn to dust.”  

 

All Ben could think about was what Lor San Tekka once told him. How he had not risen from the dark side. How he could not deny his family. He had tried so hard to make things right. To untangle the threads of destiny which bound his lineage so tightly. 

 

Maybe the way to end it was to simply cut himself from it. Let it all turn to dust, the legacies, the myths. The good, the terrible, all of it. He knew Rey was strong. She was no longer alone. That was all that mattered. Maybe Rose’s plans wouldn’t be able to save him, but she could protect Rey. 

 

“You are so right.” 

 

Ben closed his eyes, feeling the wind pull the scent of freshly cut fields past him. 

 

_ Click. _

 

Nothing.

 

The sound of Tentei screaming and his body falling to the ground. 

 

His eyes opened to RIC, the labor droid standing over the councilman’s fallen body, an electroshock probe in hand, laughing. 

 

A labor droid, laughing. 

 

Ben felt himself lose consciousness as all the stress left his body. 

 

\---

 

Rose let out the breath she had been holding.

 

It was all over.  She looked over to see Rey looking faint as she clenched her hands together. 

 

A message popped up on Rose’s datapad. 

 

_ Station secured. A team is going down to secure the councilman while the labor droids help Ben. Tentei is going down.  _

 

Rose reached out a hand to shake Rey.

 

“We did it….We did it!” Rose exclaimed in disbelief. Rey numbly nodded, her eyes on Ben’s body as two more labor droids approached him and freed him from the cuffs and carried him back towards the house. 

 

\---

 

It was an hour before Ben woke up, roused by RIC because Rey had been insistent in her desire to talk to her husband. 

 

Ben felt himself lying on the low couch in front of the holovid projector, one of RIC’s arms gently nudging him. 

 

“Those probes really do pack a punch, just like you said,” RIC said, amused still before leaving him alone with the girls.

 

Ben nodded, coughing out a laugh as he turned to see the image of Rey staring him down. He smiled weakly, praying she would hold back her wrath for just a bit longer. 

 

“Ben Solo. You must have invented a new kind of stupid.  I cannot believe you agreed to that.” Rey said, trying to keep the worry out of her tone. Rose shoved her gently. 

 

“See, he’s fine. I told you, Tentei’s gun had been switched out so Ben was fine.” 

 

“You could have told me that,” Ben said, working hard to glare at Rose who coughed, sliding slightly out of frame.  

 

“Rose said, it might have made Tentei suspicious,” Rey said rolling her eyes with a huff. 

 

“It worked though,” Rose said nudging her way out Ben’s view more and more, “I’ll let you two talk. I have to check the hull for damage since the meteor shower ended.” 

 

And Rose was gone. At least Rey wasn’t glaring at him anymore. 

 

Ben smiled at her sheepishly. He didn’t dare try to get up though. Everything hurt, his head most of all. Painstaking revelations about life and death were exhausting, it turned out. But he was alive. Tentei was taken care of.

 

“I guess the lovers won’t be separated this year after all,” Ben offered. Rey wiped harshly at her eyes, nodding. 

 

“We’ll talk about this when I see you. I mean it,” Rey said unable to maintain the anger as it slid  away into relief. 

 

“I’ll see you soon, then,” Ben said reaching out his hand towards the screen as if he could run it down Rey’s cheek. It had always comforted her. Rey’s hand went to her face, as if she could feel his touch.

 

“I’ll see you soon.”

 

The screen went dark. 


	4. Epilogue: Reunion

Rey felt the jolt of the landing gear as she waited by the door. She adjusted the long blue sleeves decorated with patterns of stars, a gift from Jen before she’d left.  The landing platform lowered and it took everything in her power to not run down the ramp before it reached the ground. The light of the morning was blinding, but her eyes quickly adjusted.

 

_ Deep breath _ , Rey reminded herself as she walked with small elegant steps, keeping her eyes on the swinging sleeves of her robe as she moved forward. She could feel his gaze on her and heard his gasp of surprise which was enough to cause her eyes to rise. 

 

Ben was openly staring at her, biting his lip in memory. She hadn’t worn this since that night of reunion on Qixi after all. Ben wore the first set of clothes Rey had ever made for him, well patched from wear. He waited at the limit of his ‘line’, which didn’t allow him within range of any star-faring vessel. 

 

Somehow Rey managed to keep her slow pace, mostly fearing she would fall over in the cumbersome robe if she moved any faster. Ben grinned up at her, arms hanging loose at his sides, impatiently tapping a foot. The moment she got close enough, Rey forgot any manners and ran into Ben’s open arms and encompassing embrace. 

 

Ben’s hugs were no longer crushing, and Rey’s were no longer timid. Even with the long sleeves, she managed to thread her arms perfectly around Ben’s body, even with the height difference. Ben had often told her her embrace was comparable to any of the blankets she made for him over the years. 

 

They stayed there, wrapped up in each other’s arms for a long time, quiet and content. And when they finally pulled away, Rey spoke. They were the first words she had said to him the night they were reunited during the Weaver’s festival. 

 

“And when reunited, their joy and sorrow in parting nourishes all.” 

 

\---

Within a few days, Ben was healing nicely with Rey taking care of him. The nightmares had diminished for them both, and for the first time in a long time, Ben slept unbound. 

 

It was a cooler night, and Rey and Ben laid side by side under a layer of blankets patterned with fields of ghobi rice, yellowed, just before harvest. The house he had built here felt so much like their old home. It wasn’t very large: a workroom for the day; a bathroom; a single space that served as the bedroom, living room, and dining room; and a small kitchen. 

 

The air still smelled of the yakitori Ben had cooked earlier that night, much to Rey’s surprise. He had apparently been teaching himself to cook for the past year, and they had been trying out all the recipes Rey brought back each day. 

 

On the walls hung the decorations and well wishes from Qixi. On a small shelf was a bamboo plant with Rey and Ben’s wishes to the separated lovers on small colorful paper strips, the tanzaku. 

 

Ben shifted, pulling Rey close to him.

 

“You have to wonder if it serves the balance of the force, us being like this.” Ben spoke quietly, his breath tickling her ear. Rey felt the cold metal of his cybernetic arm wrap around her waist, the ridges of old scars press against her back, and the metal of the force-repressing cuff rub against her ankle as their legs entwined together. 

 

Rey shrugged her shoulder in response. She didn’t often think of the Force these days. When the Republic denied Ben his connection to it, Rey refused to allow them to use her or her abilities as a Force wielder. 

 

Yet -- She knew the Force was always at work around them.

 

“I’d like to think so,” Rey whispered, twisting her body around so she could snake a hand around Ben’s head and pull him into a kiss. He fervently returned the gesture, leaving any further discussions by the wayside. 

 

\---

 

The next day, one of the last days of the visit, Rey and Ben took the time to sort out a few things, including the storehouse, and re-trimming Ben’s now terribly uneven hair. It had been half-way down his back the year before, but now it barely grazed his shoulders.

 

They both wore the newest sets of clothing Rey had made. The pattern of the these were reminiscent of stars, the stars of their two homes -- both on Aquila and Vega -- repeating over and over. It was a reminder of their place in the galaxy, the connection that bound them even when they could not be together, a reminder they could feel on their skin even when they couldn’t hold each other. 

 

She worked outside, Ben sitting before her under his favorite tree. She swore she’d never let anyone else do such a hack-job on his locks again. Afterwards Ben asked her to put his hair up like she had once done hers, long ago. 

 

He probably saw the murderous look in her eyes once she finished, and his request was certainly enough to pull Rey from her darker thoughts. 

 

“Was it always this tight?” Ben complained as Rey pulled his hair into the topmost bun. She loved the feeling of Ben’s hair pulling through her fingers. 

 

“Had to survive scavenging all day, “ she responded tugging just a bit harder as she fastened the tie. When Rey was done, she pulled out a small mirror she’d brought. Ben grinned like a fool seeing his reflection, shaking his head this way and that. 

 

“Maybe I should try these instead of the braids, though I’m pretty sure I’d just get a headache. You sure they were always this tight?” he asked after a moment, gingerly touching his head. 

 

“Yes, I’m sure.” Rey snorted at the twinge of pain on Ben’s face as he tried to adjust the buns a bit looser, with little luck. She took hold of his hand and entwined her hand with his. 

 

Rey loved the way Ben’s hands enveloped hers when they threaded their fingers together. 

 

“You want me to take them out then?” Rey teased at her husband’s complaint. His fingers tightened around hers. 

 

“Of course not. But it would only be fair that I get to try braiding your hair then.” 

 

“Deal.” 

 

The two shifted, Rey clambering over Ben, nudging his legs apart so she could sit cross-legged in front of him. He leaned back against the trunk of the tree, pulling Rey with him, which was enough to make her yelp in surprise. 

 

Rey’s hands reached back to poke Ben’s sides, but he easily caught and trapped her hands as he nuzzled the back of her neck for a moment. Rey felt herself melt under the sensation. 

 

“Unfair,” she whispered, giving in and letting Ben place her limp arms over her legs. His fingers began expertly combing through her now waist length hair, and then he started to braid. 

 

Ben hummed the Weaver’s song as he worked, and Rey found herself joining him and singing softly. 

 

“ _ Bamboo leaves are rustling, rustling _

 

_ Swaying close to the roof’s edge _

 

_ Oh how the stars are twinkling, twinkling _

 

_ Gold and silver grains of sand _ .” 

 

_ The colorful paper strips _

 

_ I have already written  _

 

_ The stars are twinkling, twinkling _

 

_ They watch us from Heaven.” _

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
